Return to Distortion
by APoeticTragedy3721
Summary: Sequel to Alice in Distortion. Alice has a daughter who has been wondering for seventeen years who her father is. Will the mother-daughter pair return to Wonderland to find him? And what troubles will await them there?
1. Absence Makes the Heart Fonder

((Hi, guys! I'm back! A lot of you have been requesting a sequel since a lot was left unsaid, so I decided that I'd give it a shot! I hope ya'll enjoy it! Tell me what you think!))

Chapter 1: Absence Makes the Heart Fonder

Alice was leaning on the kitchen counter, a cup of tea in one hand while the other raked through her bangs, tossing them over her part and sending them messily cascading down to her cheeks in an avalanche of curls. She heard a quiet patter on the fire escape and placed her mug down, pushing herself away from the counter and into the living room. The apartment was small with an open floor plan, so she crossed into the living room rather easily before coming to rest before the window. Placing her hands on her hips, she awaited the intruder.

The window slid open quietly and a teenage girl cautiously ducked both of her feet in before lowering her torso and head under the opening. She stood up once safely inside the window and upon seeing Alice awake in the living room, offered her a sheepish smile.

"Cambree," Alice sighed, her eyes underlined by brown bruises signifying her lack of sleep.

"Mom, listen—"

"Cam, I'm tired of this. You're constantly sneaking out past your curfew running around with that boy—"

"Dustin," Cambree interrupted.

Alice casted as stern of glance down at her daughter as she could manage through tired eyes before continuing, "This has got to stop. Ever since you two have started "going out", you've been nothing but a handful..."

"Well excuse me for being too much of a hassle!" Cambree retorted, taking the initiative to proceed to her bedroom. "You're always working, heaven forbid I actually have company!" she managed to yell over her shoulder whilst still stomping away angrily.

"I'm always working because I'm a single mother!" Alice shouted back, following after her. Loved ones had warned her about the "teenage years", but she never predicted they'd come on in such a torrent as they did with Cambree.

"You always say that!" She bellowed, pausing at her bedroom door to face her mother. "If it's so hard for you to be a single mother, where's Dad? Isn't that the man's job? To help support their wife and child?"

"Cam, I've told you a thousand times before," Alice began, her voice softening. "It's complicated."

"'It's complicated' doesn't cut it!" She yanked the door open, storming inside.

Alice caught the ricochet of the door as it bounced off of the wall and steadied it, gently closing it behind her as she followed her daughter into her room. "You'll never believe me," she mused.

"I probably won't," Cambree muttered as she sat on her bed, grabbing feverishly for her headphones which she promptly placed in her ear. She casted her eyes down to the soles of her shoes as Alice made her way over to her bed and sat on the edge of it. They were caked in mud, but for the time being, she knew her mother was too preoccupied to reprimand her for tracking footprints around the house.

"Cam," Alice cooed, leaning her hand on her daughter's lap. She knew her music was turned down low enough for Cambree to hear her over the music, that's just how she was. No matter how rough of a persona she tried to display, it only took a few minutes into an agreement for Cambree to cool down and reveal the compassionate person she truly was. "The reason why your father isn't here is because he's somewhere far away."

"You're talking to me like I'm five. I'm not a kid anymore, Mom. I'm seventeen. I think I'm old enough to know." She drummed her fingers against the rim of her CD player, pursing her lips together thoughtfully until she raised her head. "Jail? Is that where he is?"

A ghost of a smile tugged on Alice's lips. "No, not jail," she assured.

"Then where?" Cambree asked, struggled to keep her petulant façade and avoid succumbing to the curiosity that plagued her.

Alice took in a sharp exhale. "Wonderland."

Her mother's answer received a dumbfounded glance from her. "Wonderland?"

"I know, it sounds crazy." Alice forced a laugh. "I honestly couldn't tell you how I got there—or how I came back in that matter—but it's real. And that's where I met your father."

"Gram's right, you truly are insane," Cambree murmured, kicking off her shoes.

"She told you?" Alice sighed.

"Well someone has to tell me things."

Alice's fingers found themselves tangled in Cambree's hair, tucking choppy pieces of her auburn tresses behind her ear. She once had smooth locks that cascaded down to her ribcage in perfect order until the prime of her adolescent years; in which Alice found her sitting on the bathroom floor with a pair of scissors in her grasp, cutting away mercilessly at her hair after Alice had told her she didn't have time to take her to get her hair professionally cut. At first, Alice was sure her soul was going to escape from her mouth as she stared at the clumps of hair littering the tile, but after she gave it some time to sink in, she decided the shorter, more edgy hairstyle fitted Cambree's personality quite well. And with her new hairdo, Cambree's resemblance to her father stood out all the more.

"I'm sorry, Cam," Alice cooed, playing with her daughter's hair. "I've been a horrible mother, haven't I?"

Cambree's fingers slid over to the side of the CD player she was grasping, clicking a few buttons until they finally came to rest atop it. The quiet reverberations coming from her earphones ceased, and she tugged at the wire, allowing her headphones to plop onto her lap. She let out a sigh, glancing at Alice. "I wouldn't say h_orrible…" _

"But I haven't been here for you and I'm so sorry it's come to this. If I could go back in time I'd change things one- hundred times over and I'd be a better mother, I truly would. Just know I love you dearly, Cam—both myself and your father love you."

"I know," Cambree murmured. "I've been one hell of a daughter, too. I guess we've both screwed up."

She allowed a lopsided grin, to which Alice responded with a smile. "You have your father's smile," Alice informed.

Cambree reclined back onto her side, facing away from Alice and staring at the wall. Alice would've guessed that the conversation was over had Cambree not spoken up.

"Mom?" she asked quietly, not diverting her gaze away from the spot on the wall she was fixated on. "Will you tell me a story?"

A soft smile pricked at Alice's lips as she repositioned herself on the bed in a more comfortable stance. She knew exactly what story to tell her.

"Once upon a time, there was a young girl. The young girl's parents fell victim to a horrible accident when she was very tiny." Alice paused, half expecting a small voice to question 'They died?' like it had when the story was told years ago. But no interruption came, the only sound being the soft exhale and inhale of her seventeen year old daughter lying next to her. So she continued, "But thankfully, an elderly couple took the young girl in and took care of her like she was their child. Life went on normally until one day, the young girl was visited by a mysterious stranger."

"The Cheshire Cat," Cambree murmured through a yawn.

"Every day he would visit and eventually, the young girl became friends with him. Then, one day, she fell into a deep sleep. When she woke up, she wasn't in her bedroom—not even her village. Instead, she was in a completely different place."

"Wonderland," the fatigued voice piped up.

"And there, she discovered some unique characters like the Queen of Hearts and the Mad Hatter as well as some others. But most importantly, she found Ches, who helped her through many hard times during her stay in Wonderland. And eventually, the little girl fell in love with him."

"But they didn't get married," Cambree muttered, somewhere in a haze between awake and asleep.

"No," Alice murmured solemnly. "But they loved each other and it was just the same."

"So what happened?"

"The little girl had to return home."

"And what about Ches?"

"He's still waiting for her to return with their child."

"Will they ever return?" Cambree yawned, the pestering of her heavy eyelids finally overwhelming her until her eyes finally fluttered shut.

"I hope so," Alice responded softly, placing a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "I really hope so."


	2. Return Home

((Well, I'm back with another chapter! I have more of a plot with this story, so hopefully this one outshines Alice in Distortion! A special thank you to **PinuktoMomo **who's honestly such a dollface and who stuck with Alice in Distortion and now onto this. You're definitely one of the reasons why I keep writing! And perhaps I should've stated this early, but I think this story will actually be able to work as a stand-alone story for those of you who are too lazy to read Alice in Distortion (I don't blame you!) But without further ado, chapter two!))

Chapter 2: Return Home

Cambree drifted into a foggy consciousness, the weight of her eyelids preventing her from immediately snapping them open. She shifted her weight lazily onto her side; an uncomfortable sensation prodding at her waist and arm, causing her to groan, unsatisfied with her position. She repositioned herself on her back, hoping to find herself comfortable, but was only greeted with the same roughness she had felt on her side a few moments prior. Confused as to what she was sleeping on, she opened her eyes.

Instead of her stark ceiling, a dark sky loomed above her. It was a sinister shade of crimson accented with thick, sultry clouds the color of smoke. The clouds rolled above her indolently like vapor emitting from a cigar, twisting and turning in the atmosphere in a hypnotizing reel until the prominent swirls curled into nonsensical shapes that made her head swim.

Cambree sat up, rubbing her eyes feverishly with her knuckles. Was this some sort of distorted dream? She drew her feet closer to her core, planting them firmly under her. No, she could move. Straightening her legs and pushing off with her arms, she stood up. This was not a dream.

She took a glance around, inspecting her surroundings. She stood atop a rocky structure, which upon closer investigation, was nothing more than a plateau of perhaps fifteen paces by seven. It was situated on another slightly larger plateau, then another, much like a jagged snowman. The fabrication of the structure was not too towering yet the mere magnitude of it was enough to make her stomach churn. She was never fond of heights.

Sucking a sharp breath in through her lips, she mustered whatever courage was dwelling inside of her and made her legs obey her timid requests to venture to the perimeter of the plateau. They shot out maladroitly, making her stumble forward as if she were a newborn foal. Her heart slammed into her chest as she caught herself but a few inches away from the plummeting edge of the rocky structure. She sunk to her knees to avoid another mistake.

"The hell am I…?" she breathed aloud as she stared at the expanse below her.

A small clearing surrounded the plateaus. It apparently had been plowed down at some point and was assaulted by wind and denied rain, for what should have been grass was replaced by dry, earthy sediment, fragmented and crevassed by drought and weathering. The circle of dirt lead to an expansive sea of trees flaunting bare branches and cracked bark. The limbs of the trees were mangled and twisted, reaching up to the sky in nonsensical paths like skeletal fingers writhing for something they mutedly yearned for.

Cambree squinted at the scene in front of her. What sort of strange, demented world was she in? Everything around her was lifeless and morbid, as if some sort of disaster had taken hold of the land. She needed to get out of there.

Taking a deep breath to tame her nerves, she crawled closer yet to the edge of the structure. The way the plateaus were situated, if she were careful, she'd be able to crawl down each tier and eventually be able to touch land. The only problem was her irrational fear of heights restricting her from doing so.

"Why me?" she whined although she knew it would do her no good. She was alone and would have to overcome her trepidation by herself if she wanted to get out of the strange world.

With a death-grip on the rock she was sitting on, she hesitantly swung her leg over the edge. It stumbled around, toes searching for any protruding tier of rock that may be situated below. Her bare foot—only clothed by a thick sock—carefully felt its way along the edge until stumbling upon a landing and planting itself on the new-found extension. Her other leg followed suit, carefully pushing itself off of the edge until it found the swell in the rock below. With both feet planted firmly on the tier below, she carefully slid herself off the edge of the structure, her arms being her only safety harness, her feet the only anchors keeping her from plummeting to the earth below.

She slowly and carefully lowered herself onto the bottom plateau, sinking to all fours once she finally got her body off of the first. She had apparently been holding her breath during the descent and let out a deep exhale as she crawled to the edge of the second structure to repeat the process.

With a surge of newfound courage and ease, she repeated the process for a second and third time until her feet landed on the crusty earth. Pushing off of the structure, she stood erect to appraise her situation.

She was in a foreign world. Alone. Unaccustomed to the setting around her. She didn't have a clue where to go for help; if there was even any help to be found. For once, she felt completely small. Cambree felt defeated.

* * *

"There is a new Wanderer in Wonderland," a small figure stated. It was clad in a black robe, nearly tripping over the excess fabric as it scuttled over to the regal throne.

"Hm?" a poised voice rang out below a white hood.

"Crypt says this one is of great power," the figure replied nervously. It fiddled with its gnarled fingers as it awaited a reply.

Crimson lips pursed themselves together in a firm line as the creature before the throne fidgeted uneasily. "The pitiful creature's last resort to save Wonderland, is it not?" the royal sneered, her words laced with detest.

"Crypt has no power anymore," the small being stuttered tensely. It feared being purged for utterings the ruler would dislike hearing.

"Who is this child?" she asked.

"The child is the thirteenth wonderer's child," the figure responded carefully.

"So then that means—"

"The Cheshire's blood flows through this child's veins," he finished anxiously.

"Kill them."

"What? Your highness, they're simply a child! You cannot kill—"

The woman clad in white stood from her perch, causing the figure before her to recoil in fear. "I, the sole ruler of Wonderland, have ordered you to kill them. Dare you be so audacious to betray my request?"

"N-no, My Lady," he stuttered, stumbling to his feet. "I shall prepare the army right away!"

"A wise decision, Abram."


	3. Return of the Cheshire

((Hi, guys! Sorry it's been so long since the last time I've updated; it's been crazy! But at last, I've managed to update. It's not the longest update, but it's something! I assure you I'll get a better update sooner! Thanks for being so patient!))

Chapter 3: Return of the Cheshire

Cambree couldn't tell for certain how long she had been walking; not even the sky gave any insight to the amount of time passed. It was still a sickly crimson color, sultry clouds of smog circling around her head as if they were vultures waiting to pick at carcasses. She couldn't smell any toxin emanating from the atmosphere—she wasn't necessarily sure if humans would even be able to detect contamination—all she knew was that she wanted to seek refuge from the strange world around her.

Congregations of decrepit trees stretched out on either side of her for what seemed to be miles of wilted branches, mangled and cracked fanned out in all directions like choppy waves. The trunks were planted in cracked soil, their roots breaking free of the eroded surface. They seemed to have no strategic layout, simply a mass of clustered stock that could have possibly been rooted by accident.

She stopped once the parched earth bled into a steep ravine concealed in a flowing river of inky blackness. The surface was strangely reflective, casting a distorted picture of her upon the apparent. Tresses of her auburn hair poked out in all directions, cradling her chin in sticky webs; her cerulean eyes worn and faded, enhanced by dark bags hinting to sleepless nights. She looked aged in some unnatural way, seeming more close to her mother's age than her actual years.

_Mom. _Her thoughts were snatched by the thought of her mother; a kind and gentle woman who had a premature sagacity in her that depicted that she had been through more in her life than Cambree could ever fathom. She regretted the fact that their last moments together had them tangled in a fight. What was she doing now? Was she somewhere in the strange land? Or was she safe at home, tucked away in cups of her favorite Jasmine tea?

_'Alice,'_ she heard a voice croon, pulling her out of her thoughts. It was quite at first, but became more persistent, alarmed. _'Alice come to me... Alice, Alice!" _

"Who's there?" Cambree demanded, spinning herself around. To her dismay, there wasn't a soul in sight, just the barren land adorned with withered trees.

_"Alice…Hurry, Alice! Haven't have much time!"_

"I'm not Alice!" she found herself retorting, erratically searching for the source of the voice. "Who are you? _Where _are you?"

"_Find the way, Alice…Find the way…" _

The voice disappeared into the whisper of the wind, tossing Cambree's hair into her eyes. When her vision cleared, she spotted a dark mass in the distance. Squinting couldn't help her make out the silhouette, so she decided to carefully trek toward it.

With each step she took, it seemed to advance at a more unnatural rate. She slowed her pace when it was several feet away, staring warily at the figure. Trepidation took hold of her as she made out the figure: a stocky creature hidden under the identity of a robe. One of its sleeves was baggy and hung to the ground presumably due to the fabric exceeding the length of a short limb while the other was cropped at a specific length, tattered at the edges and revealing an olive-colored bulb. Inside the bulb—which was assumed to be a hand—was a small lantern illuminating the darkening sky around them.

With a gasp, Cambree backpedaled. As the being sensed her movement, two pupil-less eyes flicked to life underneath the hood of the cloak. Something within the yellow slants—a more orange-hued color—fluttered within the abyss, imitating the ebb and flow of the candle within the lantern that it held at its side. As its eyes roared to life, it waved its lantern from side to side, searching the upcoming darkness.

Cambree's heart pounded in her chest as she turned her back to the creature, making a break for it along the ravine. The blood pounding in her ears rendered her deaf as she ran. She hadn't a clue where she was running to; all she knew was that she didn't dare slow down.

She ran for what seemed to be hours, until her legs felt like noodles and her side ached. Her pace was now slowing considerately and whatever was pursuing her was sure to catch up to her soon. As she was about to give up running and take her chances by jumping into the ravine, a skeletal hand, cold and boney, seemed to have appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her by her ankle. With a vicious yank, her foot fell out from under her and her weight toppled over itself, sending her in a blind, downward tumble into a dark abyss.

Through the whipping of the wind around her, a faint voice had sounded: '_The Cheshire has returned.'_


End file.
